Title Contenders 1-6

1. Phoenix Suns – The Suns have the best record in the league and have been the best team all season long. However, they will need a healthy Chris Paul to return back to the finals stage.

2. Miami Heat – Miami who is 9-1 in it’s last 10 games is starting to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in the Eastern Conference. With Victor Oladipo potentially returning soon, Miami will have a real chance at representing the East in this year’s finals. 

3. Philadelphia 76ers – In the two games since acquiring James Harden, the 76ers have looked legit. A dynamic duo of Embiid and Harden will be very scary for Eastern Conference foes. 

4. Golden State Warriors – As good as the Warriors started they have vastly cooled off in the past few weeks. However, they are yet to play a game with their big three of Curry, Thompson, and Green which when healthy is arguably the best big 3 in basketball. 

5. Milwaukee Bucks – The defending champions will have a tough time trying to repeat. However, with such a deep team along with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee will probably be in the thick of things at seasons end.

6. Memphis Grizzlies – Ja Morant has Memphis playing at an elite level right now. Memphis, who plays well on both sides of the ball should have a chance to make a deep run in this year’s playoffs. 

Fringe Title Contenders 7-12

7. Chicago Bulls – The Bulls have played good basketball all season due in part to DeMar DeRozan having a MVP caliber season. However, they will need a healthy Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso to make a run in the deep Eastern Conference. 

8. Utah Jazz – Utah is having another solid regular season led by Donovan Mitchell. Only time will tell if they can exercise their playoff demons. 

9. Dallas Mavericks – The acquisition of Spencer Dinwiddie at the trade deadline was a very sneaky move by Dallas. It has allowed Luka Doncic to control the offense more, and has given Dallas a chance to make some noise in the playoffs. 

10. Boston Celtics – The Boston Celtics were rejuvenated in February. Led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics are finally beginning to live up to expectations. 

11. Brooklyn Nets – The Nets with a healthy Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons, along with an available Kyrie Irving are easily a top 5 team. However, we have yet to see this trio on the court which means we don’t know what this current Nets team’s ceiling is. 

12. Denver Nuggets – Nikola Jokic has played inspiring basketball all season, but without a healthy Michael Porter Jr and Jamal Murray, it’s hard to imagine Denver making a deep run this spring. 

Playoff Caliber Teams 13-18

13. Cleveland Cavaliers – This young Cavs team has played solid basketball all season long. Led by Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, this team could pose problems for an Eastern Conference playoff opponents.  

14. Minnesota Timberwolves – The Minnesota Timberwolves currently posses one of the league’s best offenses, led by Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards. If they can make some more defensive plays down the stretch they will cause problems this postseason.

15. Toronto Raptors – Toronto at times has been very inconsistent this season. However, they are a very well coached team that is led by veterans Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet

16. Los Angeles Clippers – Even without Paul George and Kawhi Leonard the LA Clippers are right in the thick of things in the West. With George himself scheduled to return soon, the Clippers could be a tough out. 

17. Los Angeles Lakers – The Lakers season has been disastrous. From chronic injuries to overall just bad play. Ultimately, you can never count out a team led by LeBron James, but the Lakers will need to fix things quickly if they plan on making any type of run this postseason. 

18. Atlanta Hawks – Trae Young and the Hawks are steadily starting to play better basketball. A year removed from a conference finals appearance, Atlanta would surely like to at least make the play in tournament next month. 

Play In Hopefuls 19-23

19. Charlotte Hornets – Charlotte is a very entertaining basketball team, but is very inconsistent. They will likely sneak in the playoffs, but will need to play a better brand of basketball down the stretch. 

20. New Orleans Pelicans – By acquiring CJ McCollum at the trade deadline, New Orleans has significantly upgraded their roster. It would be an added bonus if Zion could return sometime in the next month. 

21. Washington Wizards – After getting off to a real nice start, Washington has cooled off a lot. With Bradley Beal being out the rest of the way, Washington can at best hope to play in the play in tournament. 

22. Portland Trail Blazers – Portland has not had the best of luck this season, losing multiple starters due to injury. A bright spot nevertheless has been the talented Anfernee Simons.

23. San Antonio Spurs – San Antonio has struggled a lot this season, but on occasions shown promise. Dejounte Murray has definitely shown he can play at an elite level night in and night out. 

Non Playoff Teams 24-30

24. New York Knicks – The Knicks have been very underwhelming this season. RJ Barrett however, has been a bright spot for the team, and is a piece the team can build around. 

25. Sacramento Kings – Even though it’s been a down year for Sacramento, I believe acquiring Domantas Sabonis at the trade deadline has made this team much better. Alongside De’Aaron Fox, the Kings should have a chance to be a good team next season.

26. Indiana Pacers – Indiana is ultimately entering a rebuild. However, acquiring the talented Tyrese Haliburton is a nice building block to start with. 

27. Oklahoma City Thunder – OKC is still a few years away from contending. However, watching Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is very entertaining and they are solid pieces this franchise can build around. 

28. Detroit Pistons – Detroit obviously has not been great this year, but 1st overall pick Cade Cunningham has definitely lived up to expectations this season. 

29. Houston Rockets – The Rockets have a solid young core, but are still going through lots of growing pains. Look for Houston to improve a lot next season. 

30. Orlando Magic – Orlando is in a full rebuild, and while having Cole Anthony is a nice perk, Orlando will continue to struggle in the meantime with such a young roster. 

Be sure to follow on Twitter and make sure to check out our Shop